


Save me a bullet (or a piece of your heart)

by jeongcheongs



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nine Percent - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, Zhengting is his husband, Ziyi the mob boss, i swear it gets better, mafia, npc as ziyi's gang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 19:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14900867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeongcheongs/pseuds/jeongcheongs
Summary: Zhengting didn't think he was going to meet his future husband when his father told him they were going on a "business meeting".ORZhengyi arranged marriage X mafia AU that no one asked for.





	1. Mobbed Up

**Author's Note:**

> Zhengyi got me dead right now, so I decided to write this!
> 
> I dunno how long its going to be, but I hope you all like it! <3
> 
> Also I'm basing everything here on movies/tv shows I've watched before sooo it's probably inaccurate as FXXK

_Left, right, left, right, left, right._

 

That is all that’s in Zhengting’s mind, keeping him from collapsing onto his knees as he follows his father down the hall, marble tiles running underneath their feet.

 

If Zhengting wasn’t so nervous, perhaps he would appreciate this visit more, the monochrome colours, rectangular lines and overall simplicity of the mansion being a style of Zhengting’s favourites.

 

“Pay attention.” His father’s voice snaps Zhengting out of his mind, sharp eyes turning towards him with a disapproving look.

 

“Because this is your first time on a business deal, I expect you to be attentive and wide awake, but under no circumstances do you talk. Understand me?”

 

Zhengting nods, not daring to speak out. They may be in their own territory right now, but Zhengting knows that his father would not think twice to strike him if he believes Zhengting has stepped out of line.

 

He follows his father and his bodyguards deeper into the house, eyes downcast, focused on the ankles of the person in front of him until they reach a pristine open room, and his father settles down on a white leather couch, motioning for his son to sit beside him at the other end of the couch.

 

Two, three, four minutes past. The room stays silent, and only the sound of Zhengting’s father’s harsh breathing from damaged lungs can be heard as Zhengting fidgets at how uncharacteristically quiet the house is.

 

“Welcome to my humble abode. I do hope my staff have been pleasant with you.” Footsteps enter the room and Zhengting can feel how everyone in the room, save for his father, tenses up, shoulders becoming stiffer and backs standing straighter as another man, probably in his mid-twenties, walk into the room, and he can’t help but accidentally scoff under his breath, not only at how absurd everyone was acting (at such a young age, how important could this man possibly be?) but also at the ridiculousness of the man’s words. _Humble my ass,_ Zhengting thinks, _have you seen the extravagance of this place?_

 

“Do you find something funny?” Zhengting freezes when the man turns to him, cold eyes piercing into him. 

 

“I—I—” Zhengting stammers, not used to being put on the spot. Even at home, he was never allowed to speak first towards his parents, only given the opportunity to talk when summoned. He was always ignored whenever his parent’s business partners were around, to the point where it almost seemed like he couldn’t be seen at all.

 

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Wang.” Zhengting’s father cuts in for him, eyes glaring at his son to _behave, or else._ “He’s young and doesn’t know how to control himself in public. I apologise on his behalf.”

 

The man, Mr. Wang apparently, nods, turning his chin on Zhengting before sitting down in the chair across from his father.

 

“So to what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“I heard about the recent news regarding the passing of your father, Mr. Wang.” His father starts, fingers motioning for a lit cigar, inhaling the toxic fumes. “I want to send my condolences, he was a dear partner of mine for many years.”

 

“I am aware, Mr. Zhu. Thank you for your kind regards. I am also aware that there has been a deal made between my father and yourself regarding the Eastern territories?”

 

“Ah, yes.” Zhengting’s father leans back against the sofa, taking another deep inhale from his cigar, a move which Zhengting knows is meant to intimidate other business partners. The man sitting across from him, however, looks completely unfazed. “My first born child’s hand in marriage in exchange for half the Eastern territories.”

 

“What the fu—?” Zhengting blurts out, eyes widening at his fathers words. The room spins in his head as he tries to comprehend what was happening. _My first born child’s hand in marriage in exchange for half the Eastern territories._ His father was trading him off for a piece of land?

 

“ _Behave yourself, child._ ” His father growls, jamming the lit end of his cigar onto Zhengting’s hand, a cry of pain leaving his son’s mouth. “Be quiet and let the adults talk.”

 

Zhengting yelps, cradling his hand against his chest as he eyes his father and the other man in front of him, confusion running through his head as the two businessmen talked over the boundaries of their deal.

 

“I know this may be very shocking to you.” His future husband speaks up, eyes focusing on Zhengting again, “but you should know that this deal has been in place since we were both children, and there is nothing that both of us could do to change it.”

 

Zhengting’s eyes drift over to his father, who had never even hinted at an arranged marriage. Of course, what could he expect from a man like his father, but the man speaking to him seems to know about this arrangement very well, and Zhengting would’ve liked to be given at least some indication that he would be shipped off like a toy in exchange for a crappy piece of land.

 

“From today on you will be living with me.” His future husband continues, rising from where he was sitting, “My right-hand man will bring you to your room, and your father has organised his people to drop your things down within the week.”

 

Zhengting can only nod meekly, cheeks heating up from all the unfamiliar eyes focused on him, assessing whether he would scream, cry, or break down. 

 

“Then it’s settled,” Zhengting’s father says with a clap of his hands. “Why don’t you go to your room first while we wrap things up.”

 

Zhengting rises from his seat, guided by a hand connected to who he assumes to be the right-hand man aforementioned.

 

“May I ask for permission to leave this room, Father?” Zhengting asks, eyes on the ground as he waits for his father to reply.

 

“You may.”

 

With a curt bow, Zhengting makes his way towards the door, turning back before he exists with a “Good day, Father, and good day, Mr. Wa—”

 

“Ziyi is fine.”

 

Zhengting’s eyes snap up at Mr. Wan—no— _Ziyi_ ’s face, cold expression still on his face, but Zhengting feels a certain warmth in his chest, knowing that being given permission to use first names, even to those among their own age, is a privilege that many people in his position do not have.

 

“Good day, Ziyi.” Zhengting corrects, before leaving the room with a bud of hope blooming in his chest.


	2. Hot Goods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhengting sits down to talk with Ziyi and meets some of his crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HII heres the next chapter!
> 
> I hope you like it~~

_Right, left, right, left, right, left._

 

Zhengting’s walking again, this time down what he thinks is a different hallway. _Goddammit,_ it took him years to be able to recognise the identical halls of his own home, how is he going to be able to get around this place when it’s so much more elaborate?

 

“This is where you will be staying.” They stop in front of a set of double doors, Ziyi’s assistant pushing in to reveal a sleek black-and-white bedroom, similar to what Zhengting is used to, yet extremely different. 

 

“Make yourself feel at home. Ziyi personally chose this bedroom for you, so feel free to use it for whatever you want.” The man continues, showing Zhengting around the room. “The ensuite and walk-in closet here is also for you, but a reminder that we hold the right to search your room as we please, so don’t try to hide anything here without our knowledge. My name is Xukun, by the way.”

 

Zhengting shakes the man’s hand, actually taking taking a good look at the man in front of him. 

 

“I’m Zhengting.”

 

“Cool, bro. Now, do you want that hand bandaged up?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“So Ziyi doesn’t like it when people eat slower than him.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Don’t try to talk to him when he’s working.”

 

“That makes sense.”

 

“If he’s talking to you, pay full attention to him.”

 

“Well, I guess…”

 

“If he ever pulls a gun on you, just stay very still.”

 

“What the fuck?”

 

“Yeah he does that sometimes.” Xukun shrugs as if it’s something that is completely normal, and the other two sitting in front of him just shake their heads, Justin, a kid Zhengting thinks is too young to be involved in Ziyi’s shit, and Chengcheng, who reminds Zhengting of an orange and looks like he can’t hurt a fly.

 

“So if you follow all those rules, then you’ll get along just fine here!”

 

Zhengting nods, crossing his legs on top of the couch. The rules were different than what he was used to, but followed the general mindset of his own home.

 

“But anyways,” the three across from him starts getting up, but motions for Zhengting to sit back down. “We have other work to do, so stay here and entertain yourself, I guess. Ziyi’s going to be dropping by to talk to you, later, so hang tight.”

 

The three leave Zhengting in his room, leaving the man with practically nothing to do. “Later” becomes three, four, five hours, with Zhengting sprawled out on his bed, flipping through television channels, going through magazines, even working on his stretches as he waited for his future husband to drop by.

 

Zhengting loosens his muscles, lifting his leg up to meet his ear, eyes slipping shut as he remembers how he would dance and twirl when he was younger, the feeling of the air rushing though his hair whenever he flipped and tumbled. The feeling of being on stage, in the spotlight, was one that he adored, and misses to this day, but _no son of mine will commit themselves to an activity as ridiculous as dancing,_ his father had said when he found out, _why can’t you be interested in guns or cars, like normal kids?_

 

“As if he would know what kids are like.” Zhengting scoffs to himself, thinking of all the times his father actually thought about him or cared for him. Yeah, from his nineteen years of life, he would be able to count all the times on one hand. 

 

“What are you talking about, Zhu Zhengting?”

 

Zhengting tumbles over when a voice pops out of nowhere, dark eyes staring down at him as scrambles back onto his feet, hands clamping together in embarrassment.

 

“Nothing! I was just—ah—I was— i-it’s nothing.”

 

Wang Ziyi chuckles, air puffing out from his nose, but Zhengting thinks that he didn’t actually find him funny. It was more of a pity laugh, than anything.

 

“So… what are you doing here?”

 

Ziyi leans back against the sofa, gesturing for Zhengting to sit across from him. Zhengting does so, mimicking Ziyi’s posture as he starts talking.

 

“We need to talk about this… arrangement that we’re in.” Ziyi folds his arms across his chest, and Zhengting follows that too. “I am aware that you are not content with what is to become of us, and believe me, I am too. However, the only way to maintain a strong empire is to make some sacrifices. Our marriage will create a permanent partnership between your father’s gang and my own. It is for the best.”

 

“Permanent partnership my ass, my father will turn on you every chance he gets!” Zhengting blurts out, fingers clutching the armrest besides him. “I _know_ how he works, he scams people like you and screws them over when he doesn’t need your help anymore!”

 

If Ziyi believed any part of what Zhengting said, or got angry by it, it didn’t show, expression remaining the same as he waits for Zhengting to stop talking. 

 

“My father put a lot of trust in your father, and I will not dishonour him by going against his wishes.”

 

Zhengting shrinks back slightly, the sternest in Ziyi’s voice making his nerves stand on edge, but he presses on. “O-okay, well if you get fucked up, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

Ziyi scoffs, turning his nose up at Zhengting. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

 

“The wedding will be in three days,” Ziyi continues, “You should be aware that it is a large wedding, expect it to be extravagant. My people will handle everything, but be prepared for the media and press to be there.”

 

“Media?”

 

“It’s not everyday that the country’s most eligible bachelor gets married.” Zhengting’s not looking at Ziyi, but he can hear the smirk in his voice, obviously proud of that title. “Which is why you need to be on your best behaviour, I can’t have a bumbling fool like you ruin my reputation.”

 

“Excuse me?” The back of Zhengting’s eyes burn as he glares at his future husband, who doesn’t look bothered by Zhengting at all. Ziyi may be the country’s “most eligible bachelor”, but that doesn’t mean that Zhengting’s yesterday’s leftover cafeteria meatloaf! In fact, when Zhengting had gone to university that one year, he had quite a lot of suitors and admirers, until his father pulled him out cause he was “getting too chummy with the peasants.”

 

“You may be excused.” Ziyi waves an arm at Zhengting, eyes fully knowing what Zhengting actually meant, but choosing to ignore it. “Do as you please, I assume Xukun has already told you about the rules you have to follow.”

 

Ziyi stands up, and only now that Zhengting realises that Ziyi is taller than him. Zhengting can see his back muscles move as he stretches, and Zhengting forces himself to look away as his soon-to-be husband turns towards him.

 

“I won’t be joining you for dinner, but feel free to get yourself acquainted with the rest in my crew.”

 

Ziyi leaves Zhengting in his room, standing here as he continues to stare at the closed door. 

 

“What a douche,” Zhengting mutters to himself, a frown etching onto his face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eight PM rolls around, and Zhengting groans as his stomach growls again. Yeah, Ziyi told him to go eat whenever he wanted to, but Zhengting doesn’t really feel like leaving his room.

 

His stomach growls again, louder and more violent and ever, and Zhengting only grumbles as he forces himself to get up from his bed, peaking out his bedroom door to see if there’s anyone near him that would know where the kitchens are.

 

Zhengting wanders around the hall, taking twists and turns, walking up and down stairs without knowing exactly where he is. Miraculously, he manages to stumble into the open kitchen that seems to be in such an obvious spot if he thinks back to the route he took, and walks in to be suddenly met with a small man tackling him, and Zhengting almost falls back onto the ground as the other man squeezes him in a hug.

 

“Hi, you must be Ziyi’s fiancé!” The man chirps as he pulls back, arms still holding onto Zhengting from an arm’s distance away as he looks the taller man up and down. “I’m Zhangjing, Ziyi’s personal chef. You’re very handsome, Ziyi’s description of you don’t do you justice.” The man pulls away from Zhengting, rushing over to the stove, lifting the lid off the boiling pot and taking a peek inside.

 

“I heard from your father’s staff that you like seaweed soup, try some!” He hands a full bowl over to Zhengting, who takes it graciously. 

 

“Ziyi talked about me?” Zhengting asks, curious about what he said about himself. 

 

“Not that much, to be honestly.” Zhangjing admits, pouring Zhengting a glass of water. “Tall, dark hair, blinding smile, puppy dog eyes, a naive vibe.”

 

Zhengting frowns at the mention of being naive. He gets that enough from his parents, he doesn’t want to deal with his husband looking down at him like that too. 

 

“Aw, don’t frown,” Zhangjing places a comforting hand on Zhengting’s shoulder, giving him small pats. “I, for one, think that it’s cute! It’s a nice change when you’re always surrounded by people like Ziyi or Xukun. Even Justin and Chengcheng are little devils.”

 

Zhengting opens his mouth, wanting to say something along the lines of “I think Justin and Chengcheng are sweet!” when—

 

“Hey Zhangjing-ah~”

 

Zhengting jumps at the unexpected, foreign voice in the background, whipping around in time as someone else walks in, dark hair flopped over soft eyebrows as his eyes land on Zhengting, a smirk breaking out as he saunters over to where Zhengting and Zhangjing are, dimples in full sight.

 

“Oh, Zhengting, this is Ya—”

 

“I’m Lin Yanjun,” the man takes Zhengting’s hand in his own, knees dipping in a playful bow curtsy as he presses his lips against the back of Zhengting’s hand. “Ziyi’s personal bodyguard and soon to be yours too, Zhu Zhengting.”

 

Zhengting can only blush as his eyes widens, not used such direct actions from others. 

 

“Stop it, Yanjun, you’re scaring him.” Zhangjing whacks a towel at Yanjun, Zhengting’s hand slipping out of said man’s grasp. “Don’t worry, Yanjun is flirty with just about anyone.”

 

Zhengting nods, part of him disappointed hearing that Yanjun does that to everyone. “It’s nice to meet you, I hope we can be friends.”

 

“Of course, sweet cheeks,” Yanjun moves across the room to grab an apple, winking at Zhengting. “If you have _anything_ you need, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

 

Zhengting’s heart thumps in his chest as Yanjun strides out the kitchen, leaving him with Zhangjing.

 

“I’m sorry about that, he can be a little much at times,” Zhangjing says with a chuckle, scratching his head. “Now, what flavour wedding cake do you want?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYY theres chapter two!
> 
> I really hope you're enjoying this even though nothing is really happening yet ://
> 
> The wedding is going to be in the next chapter... among other things~~ (you guys can try guessing what it is ;))
> 
> But I hope you guys like this! <3 Thank you for reading!


	3. Straight to the heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You may kiss the bride."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HII
> 
> its exams week and i wrote this to avoid studying~
> 
> HOPEFULLY YALL WILL ENJOY IT THIS IS KIND OF A MESS RIGHtNOW

Three days passes, and the wedding was a whirlwind of people rushing around, making sure that everything is in place. 

 

Zhengting is pulled out of bed at four in the morning, forced into a white suit as hair stylists and makeup artists pull and tug, trying to make him as beautiful as possible.

 

Justin and Chengcheng visit him, laughing as their gege is fussed over, jumping onto Zhengting’s bed and making a mess of the already crowded room before they were kicked out, complaints leaving their mouths as they reluctantly return to their duties.

 

Yanjun arrives to escort Zhengting to the venue, a soft smile on his face as he takes in Zhengting’s appearance.

 

“You look amazing, sweetheart,” is the first thing Yanjun says when Zhengting approaches him, a hand raising to guide Zhengting to the venue. “But I think you look the best when you’re not wearing any makeup at all.”

 

They arrive at the wedding, Zhengting doesn’t remember what happens, but he’s suddenly at the altar, facing Wang Ziyi as said man recites his wedding vows. They make eye contact, and Zhengting immediately looks away, his face flushing red. Rings are exchanged, and Zhengting hears the priest tell Ziyi “You may kiss the bride”, and Zhengting has half a mind to blurt out that _he’s not a fucking bride_ , but Ziyi is cupping his face, hands surprisingly gentle as he tugs Zhengting up towards him, connecting their lips together.

 

Zhengting pulls away with a gasp, eyes staring wide at his husband. He hears clapping in the background, and Ziyi’s hands fall from his face, instead offering his arm for Zhengting to take. He does so, willing his face to stop burning, as Ziyi takes a moment to thank everyone for coming. Ziyi takes a step, leading Zhengting down the walkway, taking their first steps as a married couple as people watched on.

 

Zhengting had always wondered what this moment would be like when he was younger, but never had he thought that it would be with someone that he barely knew.

 

“You did well back there.” Ziyi says as the car door shuts behind Zhengting, “You didn’t trip over your feet like I thought you would.”

 

Zhengting nods, looking down at his hands, or more specifically, the foreign ring on his finger. It was a simple platinum band, the Chinese character for ‘Wang’ etched on the inside, as well as the initials ‘ZZT’. 

 

“When we arrive at the wedding party, there are going to be even more paparazzi, and they will try to take pictures of you or get a reaction from you.” Ziyi speaks up, startling Zhengting. “We did invite some specific companies to the event, but don’t talk to them unless you’re with me.”

 

Zhengting nods, and they sit in silence for the rest of the ride.

 

They arrive at the wedding party, and Zhengting only nods and smiles as people he don’t know congratulates him on his marriage. Performances start, and Zhengting sits between Ziyi and Justin as he watches performers sing and dance. The singing was pretty good, but the dancing really was mediocre at best. Zhengting thinks that he could definitely do better. More stuff happens, Zhengting thinks Zhangjing and some other people stand to speak, and then it was the end of the night, the couple standing near the doors as they bid guests goodbye.

 

“You go home first,” Ziyi says, turning to him as the last guest walks out the doors. “I have business to take care of.”

 

“Business?”

 

“It’s urgent,” Ziyi is already slipping his coat on, heading towards the doors himself. “Go home with Justin and Chengcheng, I’ll come find you when I’m… less packed.”

 

Zhengting nods as his husband walks out the doors, not even looking back to say goodbye. Justin and Chengcheng stand next to him, unsure of what to say, before Justin smiles at Zhengting, asking “so you ready to go home?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

A week and a half later, Ziyi still hasn’t came to visit, or even check up on Zhengting. Everyone keeps telling Zhengting that _“Ziyi’s really busy at the moment”_ and _“he promises that he’ll visit tonight”_ but he never does! 

 

It’s not that Zhengting _cares_ about his husband or anything, he is perfectly content with the company he has! Justin, Chengcheng and Zhangjing are great people to hang out with!

 

“I’m not worried about him or anything, I just haven’t seen him since the night of our wedding!” Zhengting is currently in the kitchen, complaining as Zhangjing continues to prepare dinner. 

 

“Do you think I should go visit him instead?”

 

“No!” Zhengting jumps at how loud Zhangjing’s voice suddenly gets, eyes wide at how Zhangjing whips around to yell at him. 

 

“Wh-why not though?”

 

Zhangjing visibly sighs, turning the stove off and setting the spatula down. “You just don’t want to.” He moves over to where Zhengting is sat, taking the younger’s hands in his own. “I know you’re married to Ziyi and you’re probably worried, but I still don’t think you should visit him.”

 

Zhengting hears himself agree, before excusing himself to his room. _I won’t do anything staying in my room anyways,_ Zhengting thinks to himself, _so I might as well go see what he’s up to._

 

Zhengting calls himself a cab, anxious on his way towards Ziyi’s workplace. Under the guise of a real estate company, Ziyi’s building was right in the middle of the city, and Zhengting smiles with content as he takes in the bustling city around him.

 

Zhengting breezes past security, them recognising him as they let him through the safety measures, letting him take the lift that goes all the way to Ziyi’s office level.

 

“Hi Nongnong!” Zhengting greets as he exits onto the floor, making his way towards his friend’s desk. He met Linong about a week ago, when said man arrived at the house to pick up some documents for Ziyi. Zhengting finds it hard to believe that someone with a face like Linong’s would be involved with a gang, but then so does Justin and Chengcheng, and Zhengting should really learn to expect the unexpected. 

 

“Zhengting! What are you doing here?” Linong’s eyes dart around the room, quick and skittish.

 

“I’m here to visit Ziyi, I haven’t seen him since literally the wedding.” Zhengting pouts, shoulders slumping exaggeratedly. 

 

“A-ah, well… Ziyi not here right now… he—he went to a meeting outside awhile ago!” Linong stammers, as if unsure of his boss’ whereabouts. “Why don’t you come back in an hour or two, he should be back by then!”

 

Zhengting brushes Linong off, insisting “I’ll just wait for him inside! I wanna surprise him.” Zhengting hadn’t seen Ziyi in so long anyways, waiting an extra hour or two doesn’t seem so long by comparison. 

 

Zhengting pushes into Ziyi’s office, his shirt slipping through the desperate grasp of Linong’s fingers, a skip in his step and a smile on his face, before he freezes at the doorway.

 

Ziyi’s office was large, bookshelves and expensive artwork lining the walls, a pristine leather couch pushed against one wall, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and in the middle of the room, sitting behind a dark, sturdy desk, is his husband, Wang Ziyi, making out with a half naked supermodel perched on his lap.

 

Their heads snap up just as Zhengting lets out a gasp, both hands coming up to his mouth in shock at the absolute _audacity_ Ziyi has to do this. Zhengting can hear Linong apologising profusely in the background, but Zhengting’s ears continue to ring as he takes in the sight of Ziyi, _his husband_ , with another person. With a _woman._

 

Zhengting turns around, shoving past Linong as he races to the lifts, slamming on the button repeatedly as the lift doors do not open. Zhengting can hear Linong calling out to him, and _no, he has to get away_ , as he bolts the other way, taking the stairs down instead.

 

Zhengting bursts out into the street, turning into a dark alley before everything in his stomach comes out, Zhengting’s hand finding purchase the grim, brick wall as he coughs out the vomit in his mouth, swaying slightly as he straightens up. 

 

Zhengting stills as he hears footsteps run towards his alleyway, calling out his name. _Linong, not Ziyi_ , Zhengting thinks, _he’s too busy cheating on me with supermodels with an hourglass figure and double-D boobs_.

 

The footsteps pause, and Zhengting holds his breath until they turn away, running towards another direction. 

 

Zhengting peeks out, relief floating through him when he sees no one around. 

 

 

_Fuck. What am I going to do?_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Zhengting wanders. A bad habit of his since he was a young child, loving to mindlessly walk around, without any care for where his final destination is. He grew out of the habit as he got older, the maids often complaining to his father whenever he scared them, and in turn his father would fetch his thinnest belt from his closet, and young Zhengting would try to hold in his tears at what would always happen next. 

 

“I could stand here and do this forever.” His father once told him, red marks running up and down his back and legs. “This hurts you a lot more than it hurts me. So be a good boy and stop making things hard for yourself.”

 

“—Zhengting! Can you hear me?”

 

Zhengting snaps out of his trance at the sound of a familiar voice and a tight shake on his shoulders, and “oh, hi Linkai.”

 

“What do you mean ‘Hi Linkai’? We’ve been searching all over for you!” Linkai gives Zhengting another hard shake, and Zhengting only then realises that the sky is completely dark. 

 

“Oh, sorry, I lost track of time.”

 

Linkai groans, complaining about how everyone had been looking for Zhengting like mad dogs, and that Zhengting scared everyone by running off like that.

 

“We heard what happened, by the way.” Linkai says as he leads Zhengting to his car. “Linong told us what happened. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

 

Zhengting shrugs, as if what had happened wasn’t important. “I never wanted to be in this marriage anyways. Ziyi can do what he wants.”

 

Zhengting can feel Linkai eyeing him skeptically, but thanks the heavens when he doesn’t say anything, choosing to instead focus on a game on his phone.

 

When they arrive back home, Zhengting enters the living area to see the back of Ziyi’s head, freezing as his husband calls out his name, the soft buzz of the television the only sound in the room.

 

Zhengting gingerly walks towards Ziyi, sitting down on the sofa across from him.

 

“I’m going to be away for a while on a overseas business trip.” Ziyi immediately starts, eyes continuing to look at the television. “Linkai and Chengcheng are going with me, so Xukun will be in charge while I’m not here.”

 

Zhengting nods, waiting to see if Ziyi is going to bring up anything about what happened. 

 

“You can leave.” Ziyi swiftly dismisses him, after it is clear that Zhengting is not planning on moving from his spot without orders.

 

Linkai helps Zhengting back to his room, rubbing circles over his back as Zhengting collapses onto the bed.

 

“I want some time alone,” Zhengting mutters, burying his face deeper into a pillow as he waves for Linkai to leave.

 

He hears the door shut behind the boy, before he lets himself loose, tears slipping out as he sobs into his bed, eyes closing as the exhaustion from the day takes over him.

 

Did he do something in his previous life to deserve this? From his old family to this new one, the people that should care for him the most... just don't care at all.

 

Zhengting buries himself into his pillow, trying to block out the evasive thoughts reminding him how alone he is. Just as sleep fully envelopes him, Zhengting feels his bed dip behind him, a warm hand brushing his hair back before slipping into the bed behind him, curling around Zhengting’s frame and Zhengting snuggles back with comfort, blacking out as a soft, _Good night_ , _Zhengting,_ leaves the other’s mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh ziyi's kind of a dick
> 
> anyways i hope ya'll like this chap ^.^ things will start moving along quicker soon
> 
> i really really appreciate comments and stuff so if you have anything to say.... uwu
> 
> thank you so much for reading!


	4. Fire on three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziyi's straight and confused as heck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip i haven't updating in like over a week lol
> 
> anyways this is kind of a filler chapter but hope ya'll will like it!

Zhengting pries his eyes open as the sunlight shines into his room. An arm is draped lazily over his hips, and Zhengting turns to see Justin still sleeping next to him, drool drying at the corner of his lips. Zhengting runs his fingers through Justin’s hair, smoothing his bed head down as the younger squirms under Zhengting’s touch.

 

“St—stop— five more minutes.” Justin groans, and Zhengting can’t help but laugh fondly, never having seen Justin act his age before. While asleep, Justin looks so much more peaceful and at ease, as if nothing in the world could bother him, which is how a kid his age should really be.

 

“Wake up, Justin.” Zhengting pushes him softly, but Justin rolls over instead, pulling the blankets over his head in protest. 

 

“C’mon, baobei, wake up or you won’t enjoy what happens next.” Zhengting teases, and when Justin doesn’t reply, he rips the blanket off the younger, attacking his midriff with tickles and the younger burst out in shrieks of laughter, trying to squirm away from Zhengting’s hands.

 

“Stop it! Ge—Stop!” Justin shoves Zhengting off him, panting as he tries to regain his breath, Zhengting laying beside him, laughing to himself.

 

“That’s what you get for sneaking into my bed, Huang Minghao.” Zhengting says, turning over onto his side. “Don’t you have your own bed to return to?”

 

“I heard what happened yesterday, ge,” Zhengting turns over to face Zhengting, concern in his eyes. “Linkai told me that you were acting really nonchalant about it. I wanted to make sure you would be okay through the night.”

 

Zhengting can’t help but feel warm in his chest, sending Justin a soft smile, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

 

“Good morning, sweetheart!” The door pushes open to reveal Yanjun, breakfast tray in his hands. “I can’t believe you guys had a sleepover and didn’t invite me. Xukun is miffed too.” 

 

Yanjun sets the tray on the coffee table, flopping down next to Zhengting’s other side. “Hey beautiful, how are you feeling today?”

 

“I’m feeling okay, I guess.” Zhengting blushes at Yanjun’s soft gaze, directing his eyes at the ceiling. “Just tired, kind of.”

 

“Well Zhangjing prepared breakfast for us, so I hope you’re hungry.” Yanjun grins, getting up to bring the tray over to Zhengting’s bed, Justin helping Zhengting prop himself higher against the headboard. 

 

“Some strawberry waffles for you, sweetheart,” Yanjun passes Zhengting a plate, stacked three or four waffles high. “And some coffee for me.” Yanjun settles back down against Zhengting’s side, who was having a hard time eating and balancing at the same time, almost sliding his waffles off his plate.

 

“Here, I’ll do it.” Yanjun takes the fork from Zhengting, bringing a bite of the waffle up to Zhengting’s lips. “Say ahh~”

 

Zhengting flushes an even deeper red, taking the piece into his mouth, before pulling back to chew on the morsel. 

 

“I want a piece too, Yanjun-ge!” Justin leans in over Zhengting, mouth open as he waits for Yanjun to give him a piece too. 

 

“This is Zhengting’s waffle, ask Zhangjing to get you one.” Yanjun shields the waffles with his arm playfully, keeping it away from Justin, the younger groaning in protest.

 

Zhengting can’t help but smile, watching the two fool around. He appreciates how they care so much for him, so much that even if Ziyi doesn’t, Zhengting thinks that maybe things wouldn’t be that bad.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“How are things running at home?” Ziyi sits in his office, leaning back on his chair with his feet propped up on his desk, reading through a magazine. He had packed his bags and left for a “business trip” a week ago, really moving into the grand hotel across from his office. Before anyone assumes, he didn’t move out because he felt remorse from what had happened with Zhengting. Ziyi doesn’t care that his husband walked in on him. 

 

But that was the problem. He had a _husband_. “Straight as a stick” Wang Ziyi was the last person anyone, including Ziyi himself, to get married to a guy, but here he is now, refusing to go home.

 

Linkai joins Ziyi, throwing himself onto couch. “Xukun says it’s going smoothly. Zhangjing keeps accidentally making more food than they can finish cause he forgets we’re not there, and Linong has apparently taken up extreme ironing these days.”

 

“Mhm—and how is… Zhengting?” Ziyi asks, not looking up from his magazine. 

 

“Oh, Xukun says he’s _great_ ,” Linkai whips his phone out, making his way towards Ziyi. “He’s really getting to know the others, he even went to an amusement park with Xukun and Zhangjing yesterday.”

 

Linkai hands Ziyi his phone, a picture of Zhengting smiling with a yellow minion drinking cup in his hand.

 

“He looks… happy.” 

 

“Yeah, he’s getting really close to the others. Justin says that Yanjun takes him out a lot too.”

 

Ziyi’s head snaps up, eyes hardening at the mention.

 

“Yanjun’s taking Zhengting out?”

 

Linkai nods, returning back to the game on his phone. “Yup. Zhengzheng complains a lot that he’s bored stuck inside, so Junnie takes him to different coffeeshops every day or something.”

 

Ziyi nods slowly, taking in what he’s hearing. “Message Yanjun, tell him to stop being distracted by my husband.”

 

Linkai scrunches up his face with confusion at the order, but nods anyways. “Sure boss, whatever you say.” 

 

Linkai moves towards the door, unlocking his phone when Ziyi halts him.

 

“On second hand,” Ziyi gets out of his chair, making his way towards Linkai and the door. “Take me home, I’ll handle things myself.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Zhangjing-ah, guess where Yanjunnie and I went today!” Zhengting bounces into the living room, rose latte in his hand as he searches for the younger, “We went to that— oh.”

 

Again, Ziyi was sitting on the sofa, back facing him with the television on. Ziyi calls out Zhengting’s name, and there’s a strong sense of deja-vu as Zhengting inches over, sitting across from his husband.

 

“…Hi, Ziyi.”

 

Ziyi only looks at him, before waving a hand, signalling for everyone else in the room to leave them.

 

Zhengting watches as his friends trickle out, sending him thumbs up signs, wishing him good luck.

 

“So—” Ziyi coughs, snapping Zhengting’s attention towards him. “I’ve heard that you’ve been distracting my crew from their doing their jobs.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yes, Zhu Zhengting.” Ziyi takes his phone out, scrolling through his documents. “According to my reports, productivity in my house has been down a whole sixty-percent during the time I was away.”

 

“Kunkun said they had nothing to do, though!” Zhengting says, crossing his arms in a huff. “They were the ones to suggest that I should leave the house more often and I really was bored being at home all the time…”

 

“Go out yourself, stop interfering with their work.” 

 

Ziyi stands up, straightening his suit as he turns to leave the room, leaving Zhengting behind him.

 

“You—You can’t just keep me here!”

 

Ziyi turns around, eyes staring cooly into Zhengting’s. “You’re my husband, you’re required to listen to me.”

 

Ziyi turns again, when an arm grabs him, spinning him around and Ziyi almost tumbles over from the momentum, meeting face-to-face with a livid Zhengting.

 

“So I’m obligated to listen to you cause you’re my husband?! You know what, fuck you, Wang Ziyi!” Zhengting snaps, voice rising as his grip on Ziyi’s arm tightens. “If I’m obligated to listen to you, then as my husband, _you’re_ obligated to keep your dick in your pants! But you can’t do that, can you?”

 

Zhengting pants, eyes looking like he is about to cry as he glares up at Ziyi, grip not loosening one bit as they stare at each other.

 

“…Zhengting, let go of my arm.” Ziyi says with a tilt of his chin, disregarding Zhengting.

 

“I don’t have to listen to you, Wang Ziyi.” Zhengting glares even harder, raising himself on his toes to make him as tall as Ziyi, and honestly, if Ziyi wasn’t _so straight_ , he would think that angry Zhengting is kind of… cute?

 

“Well I don’t have to listen to you too, Zhu Zhengting.”

 

Ziyi yanks himself away from Zhengting, turning on his heels as he stomps out of the room with a huff.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Knock._

 

_Knock knock._

 

_Knock knock kno—_

 

 

“Can you stop fucking knocking?” Ziyi growls as he rips the door open, slamming it against the wall.

 

“Woah, calm down boss,” Zhangjing says, hands raising as a surrender, “There’s no need to be so angry so early in the morning. You haven’t even seen Justin and Chengcheng yet!”

 

Ziyi sighs, treading back into his room as he lets Zhangjing into his room, slumping face first into his bed. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I came to check up on you, Ziyi ahh~”

 

Ziyi lifts his head to look up blearily at Zhangjing, who’s sitting in his armchair, smiling at him as if he owns the place ( _and underneath it all, he really does rule everyone_ , Ziyi thinks).

 

“Why do you care?”

 

“I’m your friend, Yiyi.I’m trying to understand you.” Zhangjing moves, settling next to Ziyi onto the bed. “I know times have been rough and… everyone has been taking Zhengting’s side, but you really can’t continue acting like this to him.”

 

Ziyi groans, squirming into his blankets. “I don’t want to talk about this, Zhangjing.”

 

“…”

 

“Hey Zhangjing… do you find Zhengting attractive?”

 

“Boss, I don’t think there’s anyone in the house that doesn’t. Except for you, I mean.”

 

“But you’re straight, right?” Ziyi sits up to peer at Zhangjing, who looks more than amused.

 

“Hmm…. you don’t need to be gay to know that someone is attractive.”

 

“B—But— I don’t know.” Ziyi groans into his pillow, “You know, I hurt inside whenever I look at him. Especially when he smiles. Maybe I’m sick of his face.”

 

“What do you mean you hurt all over?” Zhangjing asks, a hand coming up to smooth out Ziyi’s hair.

 

“I don’t know! Like whenever I see him my stomach hurt. And my head. And chest. It makes me want to punch something.”

 

“Maybe your body is telling you that you should be nicer to Zhengting.” Zhangjing suggests, wrapping an arm around his boss. “Maybe you’re feeling guilty about treating Zhengting the way you are.”

 

“… No, I think it’s cause I’m sick of seeing him.”

 

Zhangjing can only sigh as he gets up, leaving Ziyi alone. _Ziyi’s a grown man, he can think what he wants,_ Zhangjing thinks, head shaking in disapproval.

 

_“Okay, I’ll just avoid Zhengting for a couple more days,_ ” runs through Ziyi’s head, “ _that has got to help me get over these weird pains_.”

 

“Oh, by the way,” Zhangjing says, head turning back towards Ziyi. “Mr. Zhang invited you and Zhengting to a dinner party tomorrow night… So prepare to pretend that you at least care a bit for Zhengting.”

 

_“Well fuck.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo some of you were wondering who the "mystery person" from last chapter was, yall were thinking ziyi or yanjun but it has been justin all along! zhengstin's mom+son dynamic will always be my favourite <3
> 
> sooo im on summer break right now and idk how often I will be able to update, but I'll try my best! ^.^
> 
> comments+feedback is appreciated, and I hope you guys enjoyed this!


	5. Watch your step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A step forward or a step back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: attempt of rape :(( read at your own risk?

“I would honestly be anywhere but here right now.”

 

“Just shut up, will you?”

 

Zhengting elbows Ziyi in retaliation and Ziyi grimaces, trying to mask his discomfort at his current situation.

 

Dressed in a sleek white suit, Ziyi stands with a champagne glass in one hand and Zhengting on his other side, trying to act as if they were the “overly-in-love newlyweds”.

 

“ _ It’s as if they don’t know that it’s an arranged marriage. _ ” Ziyi thinks to himself.

 

And he must have said it out loud, cause Zhengting answers with a “they probably don’t really give a shit”, and for the first time, Ziyi actually agrees with his husband on something.

 

“I really think you should lay off the champagne, I’m pretty sure it can make you gain weight.”

 

Zhengting huffs, turning his glass away from Ziyi. 

 

“Fuck off, I can drink if I want to.” Zhengting sniffs, “also, champagne is known to help you lose weight, don’t say anything that you don’t know is true.”

 

Ziyi glares at his husband, ready to say something back before he spots the cheery smile of Zhang Yixing heading towards them and Ziyi straightens up, tugging Zhengting roughly to stand closer to him as he forces a smile back.

 

“Ziyi! It has been so long since I last saw you!” Yixing greets, pulling Ziyi into a hug. “And you must be Zhengting! I’ve heard so many things about you. Apologies that I couldn’t make your wedding.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zhengting smiles, hand extending to shake Yixing’s hand when Yixing pulls Zhengting into a hug too, pulling away to tilt Zhengting’s chin up, peering at him. “So the rumours were true, the Zhus really did have the most beautiful son in the country. If only Ziyi hadn’t snatched you up so early, I gladly would have taken you in.”

 

“Ahh, is that so?” Zhengting pulls away slightly, smile still on his face. “Well, I’ll make sure to contact you if Ziyi ever kicks me out of the house.” Zhengting jokes.

 

Ziyi takes in a deep breath as he tries to calm himself down.  _ Zhengting’s only joking, _ Ziyi tells himself, but seeing Zhang Yixing smirk at his husband like that, and seeing Zhengting’s soft smile be directed back, Ziyi glares as the blood beneath his skin boils.

 

“May you excuse us, Yixing.” Ziyi asks, feigning an apologetic smile on his face. “I want to have a talk with Zhengting. Privately.”

 

“Go ahead,” Yixing says, taking a sip from his glass, “I shall head back and tend to my other guests, but if you both need anything, you know where to find me.”

 

Yixing walks away, winking at Zhengting. Growling, Ziyi tugs on Zhengting’s arm, pulling him along as he exits the venue, leading Zhengting along a series of narrow passageways until he finds a private spot, shoving Zhengting against the wall.

 

“What the fuck was that?”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I didn’t do anything.” Zhengting scoffs, turning his head away. A hand comes up, Ziyi grabbing his jaw, “Don’t pretend, Zhengting. I saw how you were looking at Zhang Yixing.”

 

Zhengting looks up Ziyi, thick arms caging him against the wall and Ziyi stops talking, their eyes meeting, and there’s a softness in Ziyi’s eyes, when his head dips down, coming within centimetres of Zhengting’s, face tilting slightly as their breaths ghost over each other…

 

Zhengting snaps out of his haze, shoving Ziyi away just as he feels the other’s lips brush over his. He runs, not looking back, he just needs to get away from Ziyi, from what almost happened. Zhengting doesn’t know where he’s going, the complicated hallways twisting and turning to directions that lead to nowhere, and  _ finally _ , Zhengting sees an Emergency Exit door, and he uses the last of his energy to sprint over. 

 

Zhengting pushes the door open, the alarms blaring above him but he doesn’t care, stumbling out the building as he regains his balance against the wall, panting.

 

Zhengting chokes, feeling his eyes tear up at the mere thought of Ziyi. What did he do in his past life to deserve a husband like him? Stuck in a loveless marriage with someone who treats him like shit then plays with his feelings like this, Zhengting must have been a terrible person to receive this fate. 

 

“Oh, what do we have here?”

 

Zhengting whips around, coming face to face with one of the “businessmen” that Ziyi works with, sporting a dark, expensive suit and a thick cigar in hand, reminding Zhengting of his own father, a shiver immediately running up Zhengting’s spine. 

 

“Who do you belong to, beautiful?”

 

The man walks closer, a smirk on his face as he backs Zhengting up towards the wall. Zhengting tries to walk away, but a hand grabbing his wrist and pulls him closer, leaning down closer to peer at Zhengting. 

 

“I don’t belong to anyone.” Zhengting answers, trying to pull away, keeping his face away from the man. 

 

“ _ Perfect.” _

 

A fist flies towards him, sending Zhengting backwards with a groan, hitting the wall. Zhengting barely has time to open his eyes when a pair of hands pulls him up straight, an unfamiliar body pining his against the walls as hands roam down his waist and towards his ass, teeth scraping against his neck. Zhengting screams, for anyone to help him, to save him from this man, only for his head to be knocked back even harder against the stone wall behind him, the man whispering lewd things in his ear. 

 

One, two, three buttons of his shirt pop off, the man ripping the shirt the rest of the way open.

 

“God, you’re perfect. So fucking pretty. Just the right amount of tightness. You don’t mind, do you? Of course you don’t. Whores like you are meant to be fucked.”

 

Zhengting screams, thrashing against the man’s hold, and the man throttles him, a hand coming up to squeeze around his neck. Zhengting gasps for breath, clawing at the hand blocking his airway. 

 

“Fuck you—” Zhengting spits, still gasping for breath. 

 

“That’s what I intend to do,  _ baby.”  _ The man smirks, licking a lewd strip up Zhengting’s neck, a hand moving to pop open the button on the front of Zhengting’s pants. 

 

Zhengting’s eyes slide shut, tears streaming down as he prays for someone,  _ anyone _ to come save him before it’s too late. 

 

“Zhengti— WHAT THE FUCK?”

 

Zhengting snaps his eyes open as he feels the weight pressing on him being ripped off, and he’s immediately surrounded with the sight, the sound, the  _ scent _ of Ziyi, and he collapses into his arms, sobbing into his chest. 

 

“Shh— you’re okay now, baby. You’re with me now, you’re safe.”

 

_ Baby…? _

 

Zhengting lifts his head up in confusion, Ziyi’s turned around to bark orders, and he peers over Ziyi’s shoulder, glimpses of the man’s purple, battered face struggling under the fists of Xukun and Yanjun. 

 

“Shh— it’s okay, don’t look at him, concentrate on me, okay? It’s going to be all okay.”

 

Zhengting listens, sliding his eyes shut, resting his head against Ziyi’s chest and letting himself fall into the darkness, falling oblivious to the outside world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i couldnt update earlier :( im working a summer job right now and im hella busy even though thats such a generic excuse 
> 
> why do i always put zhengting in shitty situations? i have no idea myself but i hate myself for it cause he doesn't deserve it
> 
> i really wanna know what you guys think! i really appreciate it when people comment and stuff ^.^
> 
> thanks for reading! <3


	6. Empty Barrels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo... I haven't updating in a while... I still hope there are people that read this :/
> 
> I've returned from vacation though, and I *should* be back trying to update as much as I can, but school can be hectic sometimes so I'll try my best! ^-^
> 
> Anyways enjoy the chapter!

Ziyi growls at the sound of the door opening, whipping around to face the intruder that dares to enter his office without knocking.

 

Xukun freezes, hands coming up in surrender and Ziyi visibly deflates, motioning for Xukun to step in.

 

“Please tell me you managed to find something.”

 

Yesterday was a complete train wreck. First, Zhang Yixing had the audacity to hit on Zhengting in such a blatant way, and Ziyi wasn’t even able to retort! Then, him and Zhengting almost kisses, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing on it’s own, but he can’t believe that Zhengting turned away! Well, it wasn’t exactly that surprising, considering how he’s not even on friendly terms with Zhengting… but Ziyi didn’t expect him to reject him so outrightly! Then there was the whole ‘Zhengting running away’ thing and the whole ‘Ziyi completely freaking out’ part, but that was nothing, compared to the horror and anger that Ziyi felt when he saw Zhengting pinned up against the wall, anger at how the man would dare to even lay a hand on _his_ _husband,_ but even more, horror at himself for being able to prevent it from happening in the first place.

 

Ziyi hasn’t been in the industry for that long, but he prides himself in knowing everyone in the industry. That man yesterday was someone that Ziyi has never seen.

 

Yixing would never invite anyone that wasn’t important to the business, but where the fuck did he find this man?

 

That’s where Xukun’s expertise comes in. 

 

With how long he has been in the industry and how many favours people own him, it wasn’t hard for Xukun to find out the identity of yesterday’s mystery man.

 

Xukun slides the file across the table towards Ziyi, leaning back against the chair.

 

_Name: Tang Xing_

_Age: 52 y 7 m_

_Sex: Male_

_Hometown: Beijing, China_

_Expertise/Skills: Technology, Hacking, Programming, Weapons_

“That’s it?”

 

“Not much about Tang Xing is known.” Xukun says, eyebrows dipping apologetically. “It’s suspected that he may be new to the scene. It is said that he had been working with Zhang to hack into government facilities. What they’re looking for, however, I’m not sure.”

 

Ziyi groans, head rolling back to lean against the back of his chair.

 

“But—” Linkai barges into the room, throwing down a handful of pictures on the table. “The guys couldn’t find more information about Tang Xing, but we found these.”

 

Ziyi picks up one of the pictures, a dark, grainy picture of Tang Xing with two other people around him.

 

“The man on his right is Tang Wei, the only child from Tang Xing’s first marriage, 22 years old, works as an chemical engineer in his own company. The girl on his left is Tang Mei is from his second marriage, 20 years old, occupation is unknown. It is also reported that he has a small, 5 year old daughter, but apart from hospital records, there is no other evidence of her existance.”

 

“Xukun, what do you suggest we do?”

 

“Well, I think that we shouldn’t take Tang Xing out,” the man starts, posture straightening up, “if we target him, it may lead Zhang to think that we’re going after him instead. But if we go for Tang’s children, the conflict is directly between us and him, and won’t affect our alliances with other gangs.”

 

Ziyi props his head up on the table, finger tapping against his temple. “Well,” Ziyi says, getting out of his chair. “If we can’t go for Tang Xing, we’ll go for his children. Linkai, organise teams to take all three of his children. We want things to be clean, swift, with no leads coming back to us. Take them to the safe house’s basement, use the opportunity to get as much information about Tang Xing as possible. Xukun, I want you to be in charge of their wellbeing while with us. I don’t want them to experience any significant damage. Now get to work.”

 

———

 

Zhengting pries his eyes open, swamped in fluffy pillows and soft bed sheets. 

 

_Where am I?_ Zhengting thinks blearily, sitting upright. _Definitely not my bedroom._

 

The room was huge, at least twice, if not three times the size of Zhengting’s bedroom, and everything was black, from the marble floors, to the dark velvet curtains and the sleek, tinted mirror on the side. This bedroom just screams Ziyi, Zhengting thinks, the sleek decor reminding Zhengting of Ziyi’s slicked back hair, the dark furniture of the leather jackets that his husband always wear, and… wait, is that a framed picture of Ziyi’s odd gang sign that he raises in every picture?

 

Zhengting flops back down onto Ziyi’s bed, sinking into the comfortable mattress as his brain throbs, his hand reaching back to discover a swollen lump on the back of his head.

 

“…Zhengting?” There’s an almost silent creak of the door, and Ziyi peeks warily into the room, as if waiting for Zhengting to tell him to _fuck off_ or just generally to go away _._

 

“Is this your bedroom, Ziyi?” Zhengting asks, his head tilting nonchalantly towards the younger. Inside, his heart was constricting, the awkwardness of the situation seeping into their skins.

 

“Uh, yeah. It is. I—uh— thought it would be easier for everyone to keep an eye out for you. Cause of—uh— the space and stuff, you know?” Ziyi takes a step further into the room, a hand coming up to run through his hair, still loose and wavy from it being so early in the morning, framing the hard angles of his face. _It suits him,_ Zhengting thinks.

 

“I like your hair.” Zhengting blurts out, his face flushing a bright red immediately as the words slip out of his mouth. “I-I mean—uh— I’ve never seen it like this. It’s good. Makes you look softer. And stuff. Hah.”

 

“Uh, thanks. I guess.” Ziyi returns, eyes trained downwards as he shuffles on his feet, the awkwardness in the air increasing by tenfold.

 

“So—how are you feeling?”

 

“Well, as well as I could possibly be feeling right now.” Zhengting admits, sinking back into the bed. “I’m fine though, I’ll get over it. I’ve had worse, anyways.”

 

“You’ve had worse…?” Ziyi questions, eyebrows raising up in concern. “Wait, what?”

 

“It’s nothing.” Zhengting shakes his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“But, Zhengting—”

 

“ _I don’t want to talk about it._ ” Zhengting grinds out, jaw clenched, “Nongnong and Justin already dropped by to check up on me last night. I’m okay. so drop it. Please.”

 

“Whoah. Okay.” Ziyi stops, still standing next to the bedroom door as he continues to look at Zhengting, who seems to find Ziyi’s bedsheets very interesting.

 

The silence between them stretches, an uncomfortable quiet that makes Zhengting squirm inside.

 

“So,” Ziyi coughs, snapping Zhengting’s attention back on him. “If you’re feeling alright, I was thinking that it would be nice if we went out for food and stuff. Like, it’s not good for you to stay inside to much and all. We can go, I don’t know, have lunch and take a walk outside or something.”

 

Zhengting looks at Ziyi skeptically, since when has Ziyi ever wanted to spend time with him? 

 

“Uh, sure. I mean, there’s not much for me to do around here anyways.”

 

“Oh. Uh— sorry about that.” Ziyi scratches the back of his neck, eyes skittering around the room, “I should really give you more to do around here, shouldn’t I?”

 

“It’s fine.” Zhengting shakes his head, climbing out of the bed. “So where are we going?”

 

———

 

“ _Best Bro’s Diner_. Really Ziyi?”

 

“Hey! They have the best Eggs Benedict’s! No one can resist the power of the bro.” Ziyi defends, pulling the door open for Zhengting, a chime ringing to signal their arrival.

 

Ziyi slides into a booth at the back of the small diner, Zhengting doing the same opposite of him.

 

“Ziyi! What’s up bro!” 

 

Ziyi gets up from his seat to hug the leader clad man, patting him on the back before sitting back down. Said man, with his hair swept back on his head and the hard angles of his cheeks and jaw, oddly reminded him of Ziyi, but of course, Zhengting secretly thinks that Ziyi is a lot more handsome.

 

“Oh, this is Jeffrey, by the way.” Ziyi introduces the two to each other, “He makes the best eggs in the country. And Jeffrey, _this,_ ” he gestures to Zhengting, “is, uh, my friend. Zhengting.”

 

“Oh, friend?” Jeffrey questions, an eyebrow raising. “I thought—well. It doesn’t matter what I thought.”

 

Zhengting can only nod back as Ziyi starts to order for them, taking the occasional glance at his phone.

 

“I ordered some avocado toast with a side of scrambled eggs for you. Zhangjing told me that you really like to eat avocados for breakfast.”

 

Zhengting nods, reaching out to take a sip of water, the pair falling into an awkward silence. Zhengting’s phone buzzes, breaking the silence between the pair, and Zhengting picks up his phone.

 

 

**Justin:** ge, hows your date? ;)

 

**Zhengting:** … we’re not on a date, justin

 

**Justin:** Owo are you sure?

**Justin:** Kunkun told us that Ziyi said he was going to ask you on a date this morning

 

**Zhengting:** no.. Ziyi just said that I must be bored at home and stuff so he’ll bring me out for breakfast and stuff

**Zhengting:** he said it would be good for my health

 

**Justin:** hmm

**Justin:** seems like bullshit

 

 

“Who is it?” Zhengting’s head snaps up at Ziyi’s voice, said man’s eyes trained on Zhengting’s phone, trying to sneak a peak of who Zhengting was texting.

 

“Oh, it’s just Justin.” Zhengting says, putting his phone down. “He was just being stupid.”

 

“What did he want?”

 

“Ahh nothing… he’s just convinced that we’re on a date. Don’t worry though, I told him otherwise.”

 

Ziyi pauses, fingers fidgeting with the ring on his finger. “Would you mind if this was a date?”

 

“Ah, well,” Zhengting’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, head tilting to the side. “You introduced me as your friend just now, I just assumed. ”

 

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you were comfortable with being introduced with being my husband…”

 

“Well—I— I just don’t think you should lie to your friends like that.”

 

“So you're saying you won’t mind if I tell Jeffrey when he comes back over?”

 

“Uh—I—well— just do what you want.” Zhengting says with a huff, embarrassingly breaking eye contact with Ziyi.

 

“Ayo Jeffrey!” Ziyi calls out, hand coming up to wave his friend over. “Zhengting has something to say to you!”

 

Zhengting freezes, eyes widening at Ziyi, mouthing “ _what the fuck are you doing?_ ”

 

“What’s up, Zhengting?” Jeffrey asks, simultaneously placing down the food their ordered onto their respective placemats.

 

“Uhh—I—just—I really like your hair.”

 

“Oh, thanks! I spend a lot of time on it.” Jeffrey smiles, hands running over the top of his head. “I would love to stay and chat, but I have more customers to serve so you two enjoy.”

 

Ziyi laughs, waving his friend off before turning back to Zhengting, facing turning serious. “Look. Just you doing that… it shows that you’re uncomfortable of labelling me as your husband. I know that legally, we’re both married and we’ve had… disagreements, but I don’t think that you’re as bad as you may seem at first. So… I was thinking that maybe we could start fresh? As friends, instead of husbands.”

 

Zhengting nods, sending Ziyi his first actual smile since this morning. He could agree with that. Being friends. Just friends, and nothing more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) yayy finally an update! 
> 
> 2) I'm surprised that this chapter was so much longer than others though, but I hope yall enjoyed it
> 
> 3) so what do you guys think?? I'm trying to fit more actual mafia shenanigans in since this IS supposed to be a Mafia X Arranged marriage AU
> 
> 4) I really really love reading your comments so if you have anything to say please comment it!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! xx

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Zhengyi gives me a p h a t case of the UWUs  
> 2) guys fill up the zhengyi tag please  
> 3) and I really appreciate knowing what ya'll think :3  
> 4) I really really hope you enjoyed this <3


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